RE: [Philmont] - philmont Digest - V01 #1359

RE Layering:

I want to echo the sentiment of one of the previous posters in that
wicking fabrics etc., do not need to come from outfitters to be
effective. Capilene, Mountain Hardware, Nike, etc are great but you are
paying a premium for that little logo. Between Wal-mart and Camp-mor,
just about everything you can pay a lot for can be paid less for. Also
agree that in the case of rain gear, spend a little more to get good
stuff, although I'd say having it "breathable" is a no-brainer but we
were rained on all 11 days so our gear was like our second skin after
1:00 pm every day. Others say otherwise and hey, they are right too.
Who am I to say?

RE Caterpillaring:

It's a valid technique to achieve the principle of "keeping the group
Together". Lots of crews have had successful treks at Philmont and
other places without using the Cat, so it's not necessary for success.

That having been said, I will say that OUR CREW loved it. It kept us
together, moving smoothly and made for very consistent travel rates,
regardless of the terrain. One small observation, when a person steps
to the side of the trail, direct them to face INWARD, putting their
backpack off to the out side of the trail. Keeps people from bumping
into it and allows for the crew to greet each other, encourage,
whatever.

We also had our Cat down to 5, 10 or 15 paces after passing the lead
person while Catting, depending on the terrain. The steeper it was, the
shorter the number of paces (number of times left foot hit the ground).

Dave Parmly
Knoxville, TN

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Received on Mon May 2 15:22:54 2005